In recent years, audio-visual devices, home appliances and other devices that can be connected to networks have been under development. The following are standardized as protocols to control such network devices: UPnP (Universal Plug and Play), ECHONET (Registered Trademark), and the like. Digital television sets and other devices that support networks also have made a debut, and the use of home networks has also become widespread.
For such network home appliances, as in the case of personal computers (PC), the settings need to be made in order to connect to a network and operate. Even if the settings have been completed, what is required is a means for examining whether the settings have been made correctly as well as whether the appliances are working appropriately. However, in many cases, for typical network home appliances, user interfaces (UIF) such as an input means for inputting setting information and an output means for outputting operational results are not satisfactory in quality when compared with PCs and the like.
There is a method of associating device identification information of network home appliances with user identification information. According to the method, the user identification information is stored in advance in a server; a network home appliance transmits to the server pieces of home-appliance identification information and user identification information when being connected to a network. The server compares the pieces of user identification information. When the piece of user identification information is valid, the server associates the piece of home-appliance identification information with the piece of user identification information. Therefore, a user of a network home appliance is correctly identified by the server.
However, the problem is that when a network home appliance does not have a UIF such as an output device or the like, it is impossible for a user to confirm whether the network home appliance is being connected to an external server as well as what kind of information is being transmitted about the network home appliance.